


The Death of the King

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Second Series [12]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-09
Updated: 2012-08-09
Packaged: 2019-07-04 06:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 18,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15835368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: A new era dawns on New Thundera and things take a terrible turn as the planet grieves.  Mostly characters I created myself with some of the originals still around.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was barely over the distant mountains and the morning fog was beginning to clear, knowing it was not wanted. A lone reptile walks toward a neat row of headstones and monuments. Later that morning there would be another somber ceremony in the same row, adding to its length and he shuddered at the thought. Finally he arrives at the one he was looking for and despite the dew covered grass he sits.

"We lost another one last night Dad. We all knew it was coming but it doesn't make it any easier. I know that I miss you every day. I know Mila misses you too. So do the kids although I don't suppose I can call them kids anymore. They are in their mid-twenties after all. Where does the time go? It's only been five years since you left but it feels like an eternity. Mom is still barely keeping it together but I think living away from the Lair at Kiele's house helps. Of course they still fight over the best way to make dinner or to wash the clothes but I think it helps Mom to know that she's still loved. Sorry I couldn't spend more time but I have to get ready for the funeral. Sahara wouldn't want me to be late," Basheer slowly stood and brushed away the grass from his pants. At the age of fifty three, he looked much like his father, something his sister and mother never let him forget. He stopped at the grave next to his father's, smiled slightly and said,

"Lord Tygra, I hope the afterlife is treating you well. May you rest in peace for all eternity knowing you have shown us all the way to a better life." He moved to the next and repeated his message only changing the person he was addressing it to; Lord Panthro, Lady Leanna, Lord Ben-Gali, Lady Pumyra, and Snarf. He stopped at an older grave to which Pumyra and Ben-Gali had been buried next to. They had wanted it as their final wish and no one could blame them.

"Lord Lynx-O. You will soon be joined by an old friend. I never met you but Lady Pumyra and Lord Ben-Gali always spoke highly of you. It is my hope that they are happy with you in the afterlife," Basheer bowed his head and then slowly began the trek up to the Lair making one stop at a special place reserved only for the most special of people.

"Queen Cheetara, you were always the pillar of strength everyone looked to. I know that your children miss you very much. You must forgive Sahara for not making it today. Many a morning I have seen her out here. I'm afraid that she must deal with something that I'm not sure any child is ever prepared for but then I think you know what I mean," he gave a slight smile and headed back toward the Lair.

Two hours later, a procession left the Lair. Two members of the ThunderGuard stood in front of the procession and one cried out,

"Present arms!" Members of the ThunderGuard, Mutant Protection Squad, and the ThunderCats raised their swords forming an archway for the procession to go under that would collapse after the last of the procession had passed and then they would fall in line. The whole of the planet watched with broadcasts given simultaneously on Third Earth and Plundarr. The two members of the ThunderGuard began to beat their drums somberly and the procession began. The temporary wooden casket was draped in the flag of Thundera and the occupant dressed in his best military uniform with a weapon as tradition demanded. They slowly made their way to the newly erected stone monument which had been constructed last week despite the protests of Sahara and Leo. It measured fifteen feet in length and eight feet tall. Inside the room, a stone coffin would sit in the middle of the floor. The casket would be six and three-quarters feet long, two and a half feet across, and one and a half feet deep; measurements that unfortunately everyone in Cat's Lair had committed to memory by now.

Now everyone from Thundera gathered around their video screens or lined the streets as the procession went by. Upon reaching its final destination, the wooden casket was led into the tomb and the flag was removed. The red and black flag was then hung on two hooks that jutted from the wall. Next the body was gingerly removed from the wooden casket and placed in the stone one. The lid was then pushed back over the top and the group stood back. Sahara lifted the Sword of Omens but her emotions overcame her and she couldn't do it. Leo wheeled himself up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You have to do it. You lead the ThunderCats. Tradition demands it be you," he hoped it was what she needed to hear. She nodded and tried to pull herself together before giving the feeble cry of,

"HO!" Blue energy shot forth and effectively sealed the stone coffin. Then the Leader of the ThunderCats called again.

"HO!" The Sword of Omens extended all the way to its full length and the Eye of Thundera roared. The Cat Signal shot forth and etched itself into the top of the casket. Then Sahara put the Sword back into the Claw Shield and stood at rapt attention, as much as she could. The others followed suit and then all of them put their hands against the center of their chests in a salute-like manner. Silence enveloped them for what seemed like a very long while before finally Sahara dropped her arm. The others did the same and they filed out of the stone monument.

Later that evening, a great bonfire would be held and the wooden casket burned so that no one would ever use it again but for now all returned to their homes. Sahara, with her brother, went to the Cat's Head and pulled the Sword of Omens once again from its sheath.

"Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS HO!" The great Cat Signal shot forth into the sky and the mighty Cat roared for all to hear. It would ring out for once for every year served letting everyone know that today a very special ThunderCat had been buried.

Later, as the sun dipped behind those same distant mountains Basheer had seen in the morning, the ThunderCats stood outside Cat's Lair. The empty wooden casket was on top of a platform made from tree branches, soaked in a flammable liquid. People of the planet had been able to visit it all day and little keepsakes or mementos wishing the one who passed one a safe journey into the next world. Sahara again teared up at seeing the love for the person and she turned to her comrades and the people who gathered.

"My father is… was… a great leader, a great ThunderCat, a great husband, and a great father. He never shied away from what needed to be done no matter how painful or how hard it was. He gave everything for his friends, his family, his people, and his country. He always sought out the Code of Thundera for guidance and gave little wiggle room when it came to following it. He buried many friends and my mother, who six months ago, left us very quickly. In the end, his heart could no longer take it but he never complained. He'd done what he had to and for that I loved him. We all loved him and we will continue to love him despite him leaving us too soon. We will always remember him for his courage, his brashness, his view of the galaxy, and of course his love. Goodbye Dad. I'll miss you," The Leader of the ThunderCats lifted her sword and shouted through her tears,

"HO!" An energy blast shot forth from the blade and ignited the large wooden pyre. Then she turned toward the sky and shouted once more.

"HO!" The other ThunderCats followed suit. The Eye of Thundera roared and another blast of energy shot from the mighty weapon, lighting up the night sky. Lion-O, King of Thundera, was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

_Lion-O called to order the ThunderCats and the Council Room filled quickly. Old faces had been replaced by new faces and the old regime was down to only one. The King had buried the Queen just last week and now was looking haggard and suddenly very old._

_"All right everyone, please settle down," Sahara said and quickly everyone hushed._

_"Thank you Sahara," her father smiled weakly and the litah was very concerned. The death of her mother had been terrible and it was taking its toll one everyone but she knew that there was something else going on and he wasn't telling her._

_"My friends, I have called this meeting to…" he paused as if he couldn't find the words._

_"What is it Dad?" Leo asked as he wheeled closer to his father. Technology had come a long way in the years since the war with the Lunatacs but the litah could not walk on his own._

_"I am dying," Lion-O finally managed to say. Gasps could be heard around the room. Everyone knew that he was younger than his counterparts and should have lived longer._

_"Dad…" Sahara started but he put his hand up._

_"The same disease that killed my wife has infected me as well. The doctors have been looking into it and they promise to try to find a cure but if they do not, I have six months at best. In that time, I would prefer what I have said, not to leave this room. I know it is a huge responsibility that I ask of you but as my most trusted friends I need you all to be ready for the transition. Sahara you will take over as Queen and Tyler as Prince. The people of three planets count on us to be stable and we need to be ready. I do not want to leave anyone in jeopardy. The smoother they are the better," he said. The people in the room just sat in stunned silence. Even when faced with death, Lion-O cared more about the people than he did himself._

_"Daddy…" Sahara was near to falling apart and Tyler reached out and grabbed her hands._

_"Everything will be ok Sahara. You have more than once proven yourself. If I leave this place when they think I will, I will go knowing that everything is taken care of and that everyone is safe. I could not ask for more," the lion reached to her and squeezed her shoulder._

"Sahara… Sahara…" a gentle shaking of her shoulder woke the litah and she opened her eyes. There her mate of the past forty-three years was standing over her.

"Time to get up already?" She asked. Then she looked outside and realized it was still dark out.

"No. You were having that dream again," he pointed to the pillow and it was then she realized it was soaking wet.

"I know you loved him very much. We all did but he's been gone six months and you're doing a great job as Queen. He wouldn't want you to dwell on something you could not control," Tyler smiled slightly and climbed back into bed. The bathroom light was on and he had obviously been up to use it when he realized what she was doing.

"It isn't a dream. For some reason, I keep reliving the day he told us that he was sick and I can't get it out of my head," Sahara said.

"It's not something anyone will ever forget but I worry that you aren't sleeping well and that is not good," his concern was obvious and she squeezed his hand.

"Maybe you should call on Jaga. Perhaps he can help," Tyler suggested.

"Perhaps he can. In the morning, I'll contact him. I promise," she leaned over and kissed him.

"Good. I hope that something good comes of it. In the morning, I'm going to call the doctor and we're going to have me checked out," he said.

"What's wrong?" She asked, very concerned.

"I'm old, that's what," he chuckled before flicking the light switch which killed the bathroom light. Sahara smirked and patted him on the shoulder before snuggling down close to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sahara headed off down the hallway after breakfast toward her office; the same office that had once been her father's and Lucius's. Tyler had thought that perhaps a different office should be chosen, afraid the memories were too much considering the day after Lion-O passed, she was supposed to inhabit it. However, the litah refused. After all, Basheer now sat where his father had and if he could do it, so could she.

"Morning your Highness," Basheer smiled as she entered the room.

"How many times…" the litah started.

"As my father would have said, 'until you're no longer Queen'," the reptile smirked. She chuckled and sat down in the large chair behind the desk. The leather had long been imprinted upon by her father and she liked to think he was right there with her.

"Anything pressing on the docket?" Sahara wondered.

"Pretty quiet for a Tuesday, actually," Basheer said, passing a piece of paper over to her.

"There's troop inspection, the ribbon cutting at the new wing of the hospital, and dinner with the heads of state from Third Earth and Plundarr. Oh a small list of things to do. Jaga, how I hate the dinner with the heads of state," she shook her head.

"I know our dads weren't fond of them either. Most of the representatives are pretty cool but some of them…" he rolled his eyes before continuing, "The Plundarrian representatives will be in around three o'clock today. I'll meet them and show them the guest rooms," Basheer said.

"I appreciate that. Tyler has an appointment with the Royal Physician at two-thirty today and I really need to be there," the litah explained.

"Is he ok?" The reptile grew concerned.

"I hope so. He chalks it up to old age but I worry that it is worse than that. Of course after my parents, I…" she stopped as the door opened and Leo wheeled himself in.

"Come on in. It's not as if you need an appointment or anything. You have a very bad habit of just barging in," his sister teased.

"You guys weren't having sex were you?" He asked smirking; after all, too many times the poor man had been scarred as a child.

"And with that, I'm leaving," Basheer made a face before cutting out of the room. As he left Ma-Mutt pranced in.

"Well we might as well have a convention," Sahara laughed as the dog came around the desk and hopped into her lap. She petted him on the head and he settled in despite being a tad overweight.

"I wanted to come and tell you first before anyone else," Leo started.

"Does that mean that Mari doesn't know?" His sister asked.

"She's busy watching Rohon teach the new machinists in the art of the ThunderTank," he said. Sahara nodded and let him continue.

"Anyway, today at the hospital unveiling I intend to unveil this," he pressed the electronic button for the wheelchair brakes and then he pushed himself up so that he stood. That was nothing new; it was what he did next that surprised both Ma-Mutt and his sister. He put one foot in front of the other and walked the few feet necessary to get him to her desk.

"Leo!" Sahara just beamed and quickly both she and Ma-Mutt were on their feet heading toward him.

"Took twenty-five years but they implanted a nerve stimulator in my spine when they replaced the bridge I had gotten all those years ago. I have to go to therapy to basically relearn how to walk and use my feet but the doctors hope to have me permanently out of that chair in a year or so," he smiled as Sahara embraced him.

"I wish mom and dad were here to see this," she said.

"Me too," he nodded. Their happy moment was broken when Basheer rushed back into the room. He didn't even notice what had happened he just delivered the news,

"There are three patients at the hospital all exhibiting the signs of the illness that killed your parents."


	4. Chapter 4

"What have we got Doctor Cougara?" Sahara asked as the doctor sat down in the medical conference room on the third floor of New Thundera General. He'd been pacing for some minutes without saying anything and it made her nervous. Tyler was nervous too as he wondered how these three cats had caught the disease when they had not been anywhere near the Lair ever. How many more were infected and spreading it around?

"Doctor, please stop pacing and speak to me. As your Queen you called me down here and now I'd like to know why," the litah spoke again and this time the cougar snapped out of it and took a seat across from her at the table.

"It seems my original diagnosis was incorrect. I have made a call to Third Earth and Plundarr but no one seems to be exhibiting the symptoms. It may be something that only exists on New Thundera," he said.

"You're going to have to give me more than that Doctor. I have dignitaries coming in, in a few hours and I cannot expose them to something we do not know what it is or how to control it," Sahara told him. It was then that the Doctor stood up and switched on the video screen at the front of the room. Punching in some keys, two images popped up on the screen.

"The image on the left is a sample of perfectly healthy blood. The image on the right is a patient who has been exposed to Thundrillium radiation," he pointed out the deformed red blood cells on the screen which looked like a donut instead of a whole circular cell.

"Thundrillium was discovered to let off radiation that no one realized was harmful until about fifteen years ago. As such, all the modifications were made to the way we mine it, store it, and use it. Prolonged exposure leads to shorter life spans, brittle bones, and blood disorders. Blood disorders which in turn affect the immune system and getting something as trivial as a cold can cause hospitalization and even death depending on how severely compromised the immune system is," he continued before typing in another series of keys and pulling up a third image of a blood sample.

"This picture on the far right is a sample of Lord Panthro's blood, three weeks before he passed away," the cells were deformed and had clogged his arteries leading to a heart attack. The heart attack had been effectively dealt with and treatment of Thundrillium radiation poisoning started.

"This picture is a sample two weeks before he died," Cougara punched it up on the screen. The cells were less deformed and things were looking better.

"This picture was two days before he died," the doctor showed a third image, leaving nothing but the three images of Panthro's blood on the screen. The third image made Sahara sick to her stomach. The cells were bursting and no healthy cells remained. He had bled to death internally while oxygen could not get to the vital parts of his body. When the panther's heart stopped for the last time, there was no way to bring him back as his blood was destroyed. Leanna had then locked herself in her room and refused to come out, eventually succumbing to the same disease two months later despite the best efforts to save her.

"This happened over the course of three weeks. My father died after six months," Sahara pointed out.

"Since Lord Panthro and Lady Leanna's deaths, I have been keeping track of the factors involved in the disease. Lord Panthro and Lady Leanna had the most exposure to Thundrillium radiation, followed by Lord Ben-Gali, Lady Pumyra, due to her proximity to Lord Ben-Gali, Lord Tygra, Queen Cheetara, and then your father King Lion-O. The levels in their systems would have shortened their life spans and as they aged, their immune systems would have eventually given up the fight. However, I would have suspected that most would have died from natural causes such as pneumonia, heart attack, or stroke. As you can see from Lord Panthro's blood there was nothing natural about it," the doctor explained.

"Then why was the entire Lair not put on alert after Panthro died? Why weren't blood samples taken from everyone?" Tyler wanted to know.

"They were. King Lion-O ordered blood panels for all the original ThunderCats. All were told their results and all were immediately put on medication to combat the radiation which seemed to be working up until Queen Cheetara got sick," Cougara said.

"How was it working?" Sahara was confused.

"Lord Ben-Gali's blood sample just a day before he passed away showed completely normal cells. It was his age that caught up to him and that bought of reptilian influenza that spread through the three planets. That unfortunately claimed Lord Lucius and Lord Snarf that same year. Lady Pumyra had a heart attack in her sleep, but she too had perfectly healthy looking blood cells. Lord Tygra had a stroke and was successfully living with aides until he caught pneumonia, which happens when the body doesn't move around too much. When Queen Cheetara got sick with a cold, the Royal Physician, Doctor Pungali Jr., treated her for it but sent me blood samples anyway just to be sure. I watched her cells rapidly deteriorate and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The medication for Thundrillium radiation poisoning was not working and the antibiotics did not even slow it down. She died in pain and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Your father, being the youngest of the bunch, had a stronger immune system and was able to keep it at bay but I still have no cure and now the samples of blood I've taken from the three who came in sick look like this," the doctor popped images onto the screen. Three of them right across and it was obvious that each cat was in a different stage of the disease.

"The one on the far right will be dead by the time the sun goes down. The other two, I hope to help but I have no direction and what's worse, I've had to quarantine their families. It's only a matter of time before word spreads and we have massive panic on our hands," Cougara told them.

"I'll worry about the panic. You keep me informed. I'm heading back to the Lair and seeing if I can't cancel the dinner tonight. Put a call into Plundarr and Third Earth. I want any available doctors with experience in blood-borne diseases here before sun-up," Sahara said.


	5. Chapter 5

"You want to run that be me again?" WilyKat asked as Sahara had pulled all the ThunderCats into a meeting immediately after telling the diplomats to head for Third Earth instead of New Thundera. They could refuel and resupply before heading back to Plundarr. Surprisingly, she had been met by objections but she put her foot down and explained that she didn't want anyone leaving the planet or landing on the planet so that they could get sick or carry the unknown disease all over the galaxy.

"I want every port shut down. No one gets on or off this rock until we figure out what is going on. I have specialists arriving from the other planets in our confederation to help Doctor Cougara. Doctor Pungali will be taking blood samples of everyone in this room before you leave," Sahara explained.

"What does Prince Tyler think of this? I noticed he isn't here," Rohon, son of Panthro and Lea, asked.

"He's being checked out by the doctors at the hospital. He had an appointment with Doctor Pungali but since this incident occurred the hospital agreed to give him a checkup," the Queen explained.

"He's all right isn't he? Snarfer, snarfer," the nephew of Snarf wanted to know.

"Nothing serious; just needed a physical," she smiled.

"What is being done about shipments and receivables?" Koji, son of Ben-Gali and Pumyra, asked.

"Basheer is on top of that. He is calling the Evil Chasers as well so that they are aware and can help us search the galaxy for anyone having run across this before," the Queen told them.

"Who has been infected?" Maya, daughter of Ben-Gali and Pumyra, wanted to know. She had taken after her mother and was one of the finest emergency surgeons on all of New Thundera.

"Starting with Panthro, we also had Lea, my mother, my father, and the three who are in the hospital now. Of the three, one is a panlion, one is a cheetah, and the third is a pumynx; none of which have ever been in contact with the Lair," the litah explained.

"I see a pattern here," Leo spoke up from his wheelchair. He had not brought up his new ability and it looked like that had been the right thing to do.

"As do I and it worries me," Maya said.

"Am I missing something?" Kala, the puma who had served as second-in command to Sahara during the battle with the Lunatacs spoke up.

"Tigers are not on that list of cats infected. Neither are any mutants. They are either immune or they are the carriers," Maya explained.

"Sweet Jaga," Leo murmured. The thought sank in across the room and immediately Maya stood from her seat.

"I'm heading to the hospital. I don't know everything there is to know but I may be able to help those in trouble," the pumiger said.

"Do it. Meanwhile I want no panic started. I intend to speak to the press in an hour. Hopefully by then we'll have something," Sahara told them.

"You think that's a good idea?" Mari asked.

"If everyone who has symptoms becomes aware of what's going on we may be able to isolate it. When the reptilian influenza spread, my father made an announcement and many were saved," the Queen pointed out.

"I only question it because we have so little to go on. Everyone knows what over active imaginations can do to something simple. This issue is far from simple," Mari explained.

"That is very true but I don't think we have a choice," Sahara said before she dismissed everyone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good peoples of New Thundera, I have called this press conference because we have become aware of a public health threat. As you all know, my mother and father grew ill and passed away not that long ago. The disease which was thought to have affected them had turned out to only be part of the real issue which we are now facing. Three of your fellow citizens have fallen ill with the same disease and it has become obvious that it is no longer an isolated incident. For everyone's safety, much as my father did when the reptilian influenza arrived here on New Thundera, I am shutting down all ports of access to the planet. A galaxy wide alert has been issued and we have doctors coming to aid in the diagnosis of this disease. Doctor Pungali will now fill everyone in on the symptoms and what to look out for. We will be sending medical teams to every city and anyone feeling as though they have symptoms should report to the locations given at the end of the announcement," Sahara finished from her spot at the podium in the media room at Cat's Lair. The room full of reporters was surprisingly silent and she was about to let the good doctor start explaining things when one of the reporters stood from his seat and asked one simple question,

"How bad is it?"

"Right now there are three infected cats. Their families have been quarantined until the tests come back," the Queen replied.

"How long can someone live with this disease?" Another reporter asked. Sahara deferred to Doctor Pungali and he tried to answer the best he could.

"It solely depends upon the current health of the patient and their age." Leaving out the part about the race, he continued and quickly explained the symptoms. Then Sahara closed the meeting and she and the doctor left.

"Do you think I've incited panic Doc?" She asked.

"Not yet. Have you spoken with your children?" Pungali wanted to know.

"Both Kaylee and Adohi have had blood samples taken. No word on the results which truthfully makes me worried. I have already buried my parents; I could not stand to lose one of my children. Granted both are nearing forty and they have not been children for a long time but I could not explain to their families what would happen if they were ill," the litah shook her head. Inwardly she thanked the gods for not allowing her anymore children. Despite their best efforts, after losing their third cub, Sahara could not produce any more children. She often lay in bed at night cursing the Guardian in the Book of Omens but nothing came of it. Now perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise.

"Well I do have some good news. Prince Tyler's medical checkup came back with good results. Although his prostate is a little large so the hospital prescribed some medicine to reduce it. Hopefully he won't have to keep getting up at night to go to the bathroom. But all in all it is not uncommon with men his age," Pungali smiled, hoping that she'd be relieved with the good news.

"That is good news. He had me worried for a long while with that. I mean he's not getting enough sleep and you know what happens when he doesn't sleep," she said referring to his mechanical eye which had replaced the one removed during the battle with the Lunatacs. The eye was linked to his blaster (a weapon he was forced to use since he only had one good eye) and it was deadly accurate when he was awake. However when he got tired and the eye tried to shut down, Tyler would bump into things, knock things over, and more than once break his toes. Needless to say, getting a good night's sleep had been difficult as of late.

"Sahara! Doctor! I think I have something!" Maya came running through the hallway at them.

"Excellent! Let's step into the conference room," the Queen smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

"What have you discovered?" Doctor Pungali wanted to know as they all sat down in the conference room.

"Well the first thing I discovered was that this disease has a target," Maya said.

"How does it have that?" Sahara asked.

"This disease was created to infect a certain type of people. It does nothing to tiger blood or tiger relatives' blood," the pumiger explained.

"So it was meant to wipe out all cats except tigers? How did you find this out?" The Doctor was intrigued by her analysis in such a short time.

"I took a sample of my blood, which is part tiger, part puma, and injected it with infected blood. The lab has been watching it and when I left the hospital, they reported no changes. Now we took a portion of healthy panlion blood from one of the family members of the sick panlion, whose name is Torran by the way, and we infected it. Within thirty minutes there was no visible change in the red blood cells but the entire sample itself had increased levels of hormones and oxygen. Now the cat we took the sample from is Torran's son, he's only fifteen. His immune system is strong and I would think he could carry around the disease without even knowing it. It would explain why King Lion-O was able to live longer. His immune system had been compromised but not to the extent of Panthro's or Lea's. What we discovered was that the Thundrillium radiation speeds up the disease so that when it is defeated the new disease moves in and finishes off the still weak immune system. Right now the hospital is still checking to see if antibiotics work but we may be looking at something that can only be cured with an antidote," Maya told them.

"So you're saying that someone created this disease," Sahara was trying to let it all sink in.

"Yes and someone who had very bad intentions with it," her friend nodded.

"This cat would need to be extremely intelligent, they would need access to highly skilled helpers, and a very good lab setup to test and create the virus. Has anyone taken the DNA of the virus and seen what makes it up?" Pungali asked.

"Well we have the police along with the ThunderGuard looking to see who has access to those kinds of things. As for the DNA, we're waiting for the specialist from Plundarr, a Doctor Naho, to arrive. We cannot identify the parts and he is the foremost expert in strange diseases this side of the galaxy. Hopefully this would narrow our search for the culprit as well since only certain people would have access to fatal diseases," Maya said.

"We have to realize that maybe the fact that tiger blood has been left out of the equation is a key to finding whoever did this. It could be a tiger or it could be a Mutant," Sahara pointed out.

"I would think a Mutant would have made it destroy all Thunderians," Pungali wasn't so sure.

"What better cover but to use the most likely candidate. I've seen the numbers. Almost half of the tiger population is involved in medicine, the other half become Architects, and the remaining ten percent are spread between military positions, shopkeepers, and financial institutions. Tigers take the fall and the Mutants wipe them out once the other cats are gone. After all, should I pass away, the Sword of Omens falls to my husband, not my brother because of his condition," the Queen made a compelling argument.

"But what is the motivation for a Mutant or a cat or anybody?" Pungali asked, concerned that there was a madman among them.

"I don't know but we need to realize that whoever it is has made a deal with the Devil," Sahara said.


	8. Chapter 8

"Doctor Naho, it is so good of you to come to us considering the situation," Sahara smiled as she greeted the doctor the next morning. The Plundarrian looked different than all the other Mutants she'd seen and was a little taken aback but she tried not to let on.

"My Queen, but of course I had to come. If nothing else, I will learn some fascinating things about Thunderian physiology," the doctor smiled and he looked worn out as they walked toward Cat's Lair from the landing pad.

"Long flight?" She asked.

"Incredibly so. I'm afraid I don't travel well," Naho explained.

"Some rest is in order then," the litah said.

"No I will be fine but I need to start working. The longer this disease has a chance to mutate, the worse things will be," the doctor shook his head.

"All right. I'm taking a trip over to the hospital in ten minutes. Let me fill you in on the way," the Queen smiled and the Doctor nodded as they entered the Lair.

"So you think that this disease was created in an attempt to reclaim the planet?" Naho asked when they were on their way to the hospital.

"It's quite possible that it was originally created to remove the old regime. My father was a great cat but there were plenty who did not like him. If he was given the disease and then he passed it around without realizing it, I…" Sahara paused. She could not bring herself to think that her father had caused her mother's death, inadvertently or otherwise.

"My Queen, it is quite possible that that was its intended use. I never got the chance to meet your father but Lord Lucius spoke of him often and always in a respectful manner. It is quite possible your father had enemies and that they would do anything to remove him from office. Now I must admit though, if King Lion-O was the only intended target, the disease has raged out of control and had infected peoples who never even entered the Lair. We must look at them as patient zero. You said they were all in different stages of the disease?" Naho asked.

"Yes they were. We lost the pumynx last night. That just leaves a panlion and a cheetah. So far none of their families are sick so we can't figure out how it spreads," she explained.

"If it were airborne, we'd all be infected. It must be done by the transfer of fluids," the doctor said thoughtfully as the vehicle pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"Fluids?" Sahara asked. Not because she didn't know what that meant but because she didn't want to think about it.

"Yes. Saliva, mucus, blood, semen, vaginal secretions…"

"I got it doctor. Are you telling me that my father cheated on my mother and that's how Lady Leanna got the disease?" The Queen asked.

"Your mother could have cheated on your father. Or one of them had a cut treated and the person doing the treating was exposed to the blood," he said it matter-of-factly, not really realizing the implications of what he just said.

"Do what you have to, to figure this out doctor before it spreads," she said, her tone telling him he'd said something inappropriate.

"Your Highness, we have a call coming into the car," the driver, who had turned around in his seat, said.

"I'll take it," she told him before telling Doctor Naho she'd meet him upstairs.

"This is Queen Sahara, go ahead," she answered the video call patched through to the computer unit in the back seat.

"We've found the culprit your Highness," Kala was beaming.

"That is excellent news my friend. Can he give us any insight into the disease?" She asked.

"That's where things get a little tricky," he admitted.

"How so?" Sahara was confused.

"He's dead," Kala replied.


	9. Chapter 9

It was at that point that Sahara cancelled her trip to the hospital and ordered Kala to give her the address of the madman. He did before she disconnected the call and ordered her driver to go there immediately. He nodded and put his foot down on the accelerator.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the address and she told the driver to head back to the hospital and explain the situation to the medical team. He promised he would and quickly drove off.

"Your Highness, I did not expect…" Kala started as he removed the helmet of his Hazmat suit.

"I have to see him," she interrupted him.

"We were going to bring him back to the Lair," Kala explained.

"Nothing here can go back to the Lair unless we know it to be sterilized. Give me a suit," the litah said.

"Right away," the puma nodded. He went over to the cat holding the suits and grabbed one that looked to be the right size. He quickly returned and she quickly donned the protective gear. Upon entering the front door of the modest two floor home, Kala shouted,

"Ten Hut!" Quickly everyone in the room stood bolt upright and saluted.

"Please everyone get back to work. We need to solve this enigma before anyone else dies," Sahara told them. They quickly dropped their salutes and went back to work.

"Where is he?" She asked Kala. He pointed to the dining room and she followed him in there.

"Oh dear," she tried to keep the bile on her throat down as the cat they'd been looking for had hung himself in the dining room using electrical cords and the railing that exposed the upstairs hallway. He'd been there awhile as the look of his pelt was not the right color for anyone she'd ever seen.

"We didn't cut him down when you said you were coming," Kala told him.

"Well he can come down now. Was there a note? Do we know anything about him?" The Queen wanted to know.

"No note. I think your announcement about setting up medical clinics. He knew that someone high up was onto him. We know that from the pictures he was a tiger. His name, which we got from people who knew him, was Dyeoung. The more interesting stuff is in the basement," the puma said.

"Let's take a look," the litah nodded. They headed back out to the living room and then into the kitchen. Rounding the cupboards, there was a door which Kala walked through and the Queen followed him.

"We found this when we cleared the house," he stopped on the stairs and pointed to the lab tables, test tubes, and all sorts of laboratory equipment.

"How did he get his hands on this stuff?" Sahara wanted to know.

"I have no idea. My guess is that when we find his paychecks and all of his banking books, we'll know. It'll take us at least a day to toss the place and then who knows how long before we get the whole story," Kala said.

"We don't have much time. Whatever you find that is disease related get to the hospital. They need all the information they can get their hands on. Any idea if he had a partner?" She asked.

"Nothing yet but I would assume when he sees the ThunderGuard outside and the police digging through his buddy's house, he'll go into hiding," he told her.

"Well he can't get off the planet so we'll find him. Keep me informed as much as possible. I need to get back to the hospital," Sahara said.


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm afraid we're down to only one patient," Doctor Cougara filled Sahara in upon meeting her at the desk that led to the isolation unit.

"Damn," she cursed.

"The cheetah passed away while you were out at the crime scene. The good news is, in the short time he's been here Doctor Naho has made some breakthroughs," the cougar seemed excited.

"That is fabulous news. Enough to save the last patient?" The Queen wanted to know.

"Perhaps we will not know until he tries an antidote, he's whipping up. Well I really shouldn't call it an antidote. More like something to hopefully slow the whole process down," Cougara admitted.

"I see what you're getting at. Has he found out how they were infected or how it is transmitted?" She asked.

"Come this way. He'll have to explain it to you. In all my years of medicine I have not run across anything like it," the doctor confessed. Sahara did not like the sound of that and she shook her head as he led her down to a lab where the Mutant doctor was working.

"Tyler," she was a little surprised to see her husband there as he'd been left in charge at the Lair.

"I got the call to come in. Basheer is handling things at the Lair while Kaylee and Adohi are making sure their families are setup in the Lair," he explained. She pulled him into a hug and then they faced Doctor Naho, just as they had faced almost everything in life, they were going to do this together.

"You might want to sit down for this your Majesties," he said.

"That bad?" Tyler asked.

"Hard to hear, I imagine," Naho told them. Doctor Cougara quickly gave them chairs to sit in.

"All right, what is it?" Sahara wanted to know.

"After examining all three current victims, I found one thing they all had in common," the Mutant paused and pulled out photos of what he had found.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"A nasty bug bite," Tyler said after looking at the angry red welt on the pelts of the victims.

"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you. It looks like a standard mosquito bite that someone has been scratching, however when you zoom in on the "bite" you realize that it isn't a bite at all," Naho flipped to another set of pictures with a close-up of the wounds.

"That looks like the Thundarian tuberculosis shot we all got as kids before it was eradicated," Sahara said.

"You would be correct. The shot doesn't enter a vein; it goes in just under the skin. It leaves a bump that should go away. This is very similar to the procedure for protection against the reptilian influenza," Naho explained.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Tyler asked.

"Exactly. When the company they worked at was giving out the vaccine for reptilian influenza, our poor patients were given something else. This disease was then created and tested on them to see if it worked," the doctor said.

"Didn't work too well if my parents died before them," Sahara pointed out.

"Au contraire, my Queen. Your parents had Thundrillium radiation poisoning. That sped up the disease. My guess is that our psychopath didn't realize what they had until after he'd infected them," Naho pointed out.

"My father died of reptilian influenza," Tyler said.

"Because he never got the vaccine and because whoever made this created a failsafe. Tigers do not get infected. Your mother, I was told died of a heart attack. She seems to have been the only one not injected with the virus. Perhaps her dose was given to someone else by mistake. In any case, it would be too late to check a corpse now," he shook his head.

"Lord Lucius died of reptilian influenza," Sahara said.

"I'll bet you ten Thunder Dollars he didn't," Doctor Cougara spoke up.

"Quite possible. No Mutants have been infected and Lord Lucius should have already had a built up immunity to the disease. Now it is not uncommon for a Mutant to die of the flu but it is rare, especially after being given the vaccine every year," Naho nodded in understanding.

"How come the entire planet is not infected?" Tyler asked.

"Excellent question. As far as I can tell, the only way to get infected is thru injection. It must not be communicable after a certain amount of time. Torran has confessed that he and his wife have a pretty healthy sex life and she is not sick," the doctor said. Internally Sahara took a sigh a relief. Despite their age, she knew her parents still fooled around and she was glad that neither had infected the other.

"So he meant this for a target. No one else has become sick right?" Tyler asked.

"As far as I know, everyone is clear but I'd like to make sure we've eradicated it before removing any travel restrictions," Doctor Naho told them.

"Not to worry. Our killer was found dead today but my guess is that he has a partner and until they are found, no one leaves this rock," Sahara said.


	11. Chapter 11

"What is this medication that you've discovered that will help the poor cat we have sick right now?" Tyler asked.

"Well it isn't really a medication. I'm doing something that was common in ancient medicine which we've managed to shy away from. After cures were found for most of the diseases it was used on, the procedure became obsolete," Naho explained as they walked down to Torran's room. The Queen and the Prince had both wanted to see him to give him their personal assurances they were working hard to find a cure. Of the three patients, he was the only one with a family. The other two were alone after being widowed by the reptilian influenza. Despite trying to tell them both that they'd get to the bottom of this, they both died before the solution could be found.

"Sounds dangerous. Medicine has come a long way since Lord Tygra had been practicing," Sahara said. The dig at the elder tiger wasn't missed and both doctors chuckled.

"Not exactly what I meant by ancient medicine. Something that was done before Third Earth was Third Earth. It was called First Earth back then," Naho told them. At that moment both Tyler and Sahara froze. Both doctors stopped in their tracks a few yards ahead of them.

"What is it?" Naho asked.

"Mumm-Ra came from First Earth. How did you find this miracle cure?" Sahara wanted to know.

"It's probably best if I show you," the doctor said as he turned the corner in the hallway and quickly the group followed.

"It occurred to me that no modern cure was going to work. Antibiotics were useless and no drug ever invented, even those used to cure Sickle Cell Anemia, would help. A continual flow of fresh oxygen has slowed the process but would only do that, slow it. So I called the only source I knew," the doctor opened the door and there on one of the chairs was Ma-Mutt.

"Ma-Mutt! What are you doing here boy?" Sahara asked.

"Bark!"  _I'm helping_ , he told her.

"How are you helping?" She asked again aloud for everyone's benefit.

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"  _Doctor Naho can speak to me_ , Ma-Mutt explained. Immediately the Queen spun on her heels.

"Tyler, arrest him!" The command was given and Tyler's mechanical eye painted a laser target on the doctor's chest.

"I suggest you give me all the answers I want right now or my husband will turn you into Swiss cheese," Sahara demanded.

"What is going on?" Doctor Cougara wanted to know.

"Only two people can communicate with Ma-Mutt; myself and Mumm-Ra. I don't know if you've noticed but the mummy has been gone a long time," the litah said.

"Bark!"  _Don't hurt him, he is a good man_ , Ma-Mutt barked.

"Ma-Mutt is right. I mean no harm. I have no relation to Mumm-Ra. It is both my gift and my curse," Naho told them.

"Explain," Tyler gave him a look.

"The peoples of New Thundera have been very kind to me, something not often afforded to me, even by my own people. You may notice I do not look like any Mutant you've ever seen before and that is because I am one of a kind. I will always be one of a kind because of the treatment I received as a child," Naho took a seat and Tyler removed the target. They all sat down to listen to his story.

"Back when things weren't as great as they are now, the Mutants, as I'm sure you're aware, were mean and nasty races of creatures. When I was young the planet was actually divided into sections. The only time the races intermixed was when they were in the military service. My family and I were on a trip through Monkian territory to reach the capital because my father was to receive a promotion and retire from the service. On the way our transport was hijacked. My father was killed right in front of us by Monkian goons who did not like to be ordered around by a Vulture. My mother…" he trailed off and everyone in the room took a deep breath.

"Anyway, both of my parents were dead. I was beaten and left for dead. Luckily a country doctor and his wife found me a few hours later, just before dark, when the wolves would have come out. They took me home. He and wife did what they could for me but they did not have the tools to do what was necessary. Eventually, he took me to the hospital when he realized that I would need surgery. However the doctors were not overly familiar with Vulture anatomy and well…" he pointed to his face.

"I am very sorry but how did that give you the ability to talk to animals?" Tyler asked.

"When the country doctor took me home, he took me to the local elder. It was said she had magical powers. He was hoping she'd be able to do something for me. Instead she cursed me; telling me that I should only be able to converse with those of my kind. Over the years I have had cosmetic work done to help my healing process but the voices of the animals are always in my head. The only reason I can speak like a normal person is because about ten years back, they corrected my beak and I could begin to speak. In the meantime, I buried myself in research and wrote to universities. I was accepted to the nest medical school and they overlooked my appearance because they admired my brain. The country doctor had taught me all he knew and he kept me safe for many years. I felt it was my duty to repay him by becoming the best doctor I could be," Naho finished.

"And Ma-Mutt?" Sahara asked.

"He is the only one who can read the ancient texts. He was able to help me find the solution. What they call a bone marrow transplant," the doctor said.

"Sounds painful," Tyler said.

"It is but it may be the only way to save him," Cougara pointed out.

"If Torran consents to the procedure, do you think you can do it?" Sahara asked.

"I must try or he won't be around to testify at trial when you catch the one responsible," Naho admitted.

"Then I am truly sorry for doubting you Doctor. Please do what you can for him," the Queen said.

"I will," Naho bowed his head.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Sahara got a video call during breakfast from the hospital. Concerned it was bad news; she took the call in her office and shut the door.

"Doctor Naho I hope this is a good video call," she said.

"Indeed it is your Highness. I only wish that Lord Tygra would have been here to see it," the Doctor was smiling.

"He has done a lot for us. We are just lucky he found those ancient texts when we were building the capital city. What have you found?" She asked.

"Torran has agreed to the procedure and we have been testing everyone in the hospital who has been willing for a donor," he paused before excitedly punching up on the screen the winning cat that would be assisting in the donation process.

"And this poor maintenance boy would be willing to go through with the procedure? It is well above his pay grade," Sahara joked.

"He is more than willing my Queen. We are going to start the procedure now and with any luck both will be fine," Naho smiled.

"Well I want to meet this boy when the surgery is complete. He deserves a medal," the Queen smiled.

"I will let you know when he is able to talk," the Mutant promised before ending the call. Sahara sat back in her chair and smiled. After a few moments, instead of heading back down to breakfast, she placed a video call to Kala.

"I'd like an update if we have one," she told him.

"Actually I was about to call you, your Highness. I think we have something that you might want to take a look at," he replied.

"I take it from your tone that it isn't a good thing," Sahara responded.

"Not particularly. Can I be down at the Lair in five minutes?" He asked.

"Absolutely. I'll grab my husband and we'll meet in the Council Room," she said. He nodded and the call ended. Taking in a deep breath, the litah rose from her seat and heading back into the dining room.

"My guess is that whatever is going on, is not good," Tyler said after she motioned with her eyes they needed to leave breakfast.

"Doesn't sound like it. Kala says he found something," she explained.

"You want me to grab your brother?" He asked.

"Please do. Meet me in the Council Room," she smiled slightly and they split off. Tyler went as quickly as he could and did not bother to knock as he entered Leo and Mari's chamber. Needless to say what he walked in on was not something he'd easily forget.

"Sweet Jaga almighty! Knock man!" Leo said as he climbed off of his wife, who immediately threw the covers over her head.

"Payback for all those times you walked in on me and your sister. Now we have to…" he didn't finish the thought as he saw Leo standing up, throwing on his bathrobe, and his wheelchair was nowhere near the bed in the corner of the room.

"You…"

"I just told Mari last night which is why you walked in seeing what you saw. What is going on?" Leo asked, heading for the bathroom.

"Kala has something we need to see. Meet us in the Council Room as quickly as possible," with that a very flustered Tyler left the room. Mari quickly got up and went into the bathroom after him.

"It could have been worse, babe," he said, starting the shower.

"What's worse, the unfinished business, the fact that Tyler saw me half naked, or that you seem so nonchalant about it?" She wanted to know as he climbed into the shower.

"You could have been on top like we used to have to do it," he smirked.

"Oh that would have scarred him for life," she chuckled and climbed in after him.


	13. Chapter 13

"Now that we're all here, please begin Kala," Sahara smirked at her brother who was still playing the part of needing his wheelchair. After all, he was still waiting to tell the Kingdom the good news. That and Tyler had blabbed about what he'd run in on.

"We discovered something while combing through the paperwork at Dyeoung's home," the puma explained as he pulled out his laptop and put images on the screen.

"Does that say what I think that says?" Tyler asked.

"That says he purchased five fifty-five gallon drums two days before his untimely demise," Sahara shook her head.

"Yes it does. Do you want to know where we found those drums?" Kala wondered.

"I bet you didn't," Leo spoke up.

"We have a winner," Kala's sarcastic tone wasn't lost on anyone but the Queen let it slide. The team investigating this entire mess had been short on sleep and leads.

"Are you saying that there could be five fifty-five gallon drums of this disease floating around somewhere?" Tyler wanted to know.

"Well I thought about that but liquid toxin doesn't do you much good does it?" Kala pointed out.

"You think he's figured out a way to turn it into a gas?" Sahara could not believe what she was hearing.

"Oh I'm betting on it. One well timed release could infect hundreds and they wouldn't even know it," the puma said.

"But how did he overcome the short communicable window?" Tyler asked.

"I have no idea but that might not matter if he has five releases infecting thousands of people at one shot," Kala told them.

"It will be too late and everyone will be infected," Leo said.

"Or at least all those who matter. The remainder of the population can be turned into slaves or executed," the puma made the remark and everyone in the room gave him a look as he pulled out a map of the planet that he'd brought with him.

"Here I have selected the five locations in which he could do the most damage," he paused as he laid the map flat and put out paperweights to keep the corners from rolling back up.

"Cat's Lair, ThunderCat University, New Thundera General, New Thundera University, and ThunderGuard Headquarters, would be the smartest places to attack. Take out the leadership, take out the students, take out the sick and the weak, and take out the soldiers," he continued.

"Great Jaga," Sahara shook her head.

"What way do you think he'll try to do it? I mean none of those places are easy to access from the outside unless you have ID and a legitimate reason for being there," Leo pointed out.

"The most inconspicuous way to infiltrate a building with high security is to play the part that no one will notice. He'll come in claiming to be refilling the Thundrillium or he'll come in claiming to clean the air system. One simple way to infect everyone is to have the gas filter through the air system," Kala explained.

"No one will think twice that he's been there and probably not even pay attention to him," Tyler said.

"Exactly. The best course of action is to beef up security at all these locations and give those checking IDs a better idea of who they are looking for," the puma told them.

"But we don't even know who we are looking for do we?" Sahara asked.

"Well that does present a large problem," Kala admitted.


	14. Chapter 14

"Is it ready?" The lizard asked his tiger cohort. The two were working in the tiger's basement to get the fifty-five gallon drums ready.

"They are ready but I'm not sure how you intend to get these into the Lair. I mean the security is already on high alert. You saw those announcements," the tiger said.

"You let me worry about that. You've done admirably and you shall be rewarded as I promised," the lizard told him.

"I want more. If we get caught, we're dead. I need enough to get off this rock and get to Third Earth and from there someplace else," the tiger put his foot down.

"I thought the five thousand Thunder Dollars were enough," his friend said.

"Not anymore. This went from make sure we infect a few test subjects to killing the King and Queen to killing lots of other people. I want more," the tiger told him.

"A reasonable request," the lizard nodded and went over to the duffle he'd brought.

"I came prepared so no worries. How does ten thousand Thunder Dollars sound?" He asked.

"Much better," the tiger gave a half smile.

"Excellent. Now be sure to spend it all in one place," the lizard smirked, grabbed his laser blaster out of the duffle and shot the tiger three times in the chest. He was dead before he hit the floor.

"On second thought, I'll keep the money and use it for my own purposes," the lizard said. Setting the duffle down, he grabbed the two wheeled lift and headed for the ramp up out of the basement. One by one he got the drums into the waiting transport labeled "Thundrillium 'R' Us" and then shut the van. Going back inside, he collected everything he needed before going to the fuel tank in the basement.

"Seems liked such a shame to leave you for the cops to find. I think a nice bonfire will do," the lizard smirked and set an explosive charge on the tank, set the timer to one minute and left the house. As he drove up the block, the house erupted in a giant ball of flames.

"What's going on?" Sahara asked as she entered the control room. The cougar at the command desk shot out of his seat and stood at attention.

"At ease," she smiled, knowing he must be new.

"An explosion in the neighborhood just outside of the hospital, My Queen," he said.

"Do they have it under control?" She asked.

"It would seem so. Unfortunately the neighboring homes were damaged," the cougar explained.

"Any causalities?" The litah wanted to know.

"No word yet, My Queen, but I fear the homeowner would be dead if he or she was home," the cougar told her.

"What's your name son?" Sahara asked.

"Private First Class Dubai, ma'am," he said.

"Can you keep me apprised of the situation Dubai?" She wanted to know.

"Yes Ma'am. Of course ma'am," he nodded vigorously.

"Very well. Thank you and as you were," smiling slightly she left the room and the cougar let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Kid's more nervous than a kid on Saturnalia," she shook her head and headed for her office to make a call.


	15. Chapter 15

The "Thundrillium 'R' Us" transport pulled up to the gate at the loading dock of Cat's Lair and the first ThunderGuard member, a liger, to the door held up his blaster and said,

"I need to see some ID."

"Of course," the lizard went into the console next to him and pulled out a driver's license.

"Aashi Neenah. And you've worked for Thundrillium 'R' Us for how long?" The Guardscat asked.

"Six years," the lizard replied.

"How long have you lived on New Thundera? Where do you reside?" The Guard wanted to know.

"Ten years and I live at five-five-five ThunderSpruce Lane," the lizard replied. There was a pause and for a second the lizard thought his cover might have been blown.

"One more question," the Guard started before backing away to a Guardscat in the guardhouse. They talked for a few moments but the lizard could not hear them. Then the cat interrogating him came back to the transport.

"What is your business here today? We had a Thundrillium shipment arrive just last week," he said. The lizard coolly and calmly pulled out the fake work order he'd made up and handed it over to the cat.

"I was told to deliver more. Guess we missed some when we made the last delivery," he said.

"Well everyone makes mistakes right?" The liger smiled.

"Sure do," the lizard smiled back. The liger then went back to the guardhouse and talked to his buddy who opened the gate. Sure his plan worked, the lizard drove into the loading dock area. When he wasn't looking, the guards called upstairs and asked for reinforcements.

"I have a call from the loading dock that the Queen needs to hear. Get her down here now!" Dubai shouted to Kabhan, a lynx, watching the video feed from the Lair security cameras.

"I see your problem on the screen," he nodded and quickly called the Queen's office and she promised to be right down.

"I want men on this guy without actually being on this guy, you got it?" Dubai radioed security. The cat on the other end agreed and quickly set a detail to keep an eye on the lizard.

"What have we got?" Sahara entered the control room and immediately everyone stood at attention.

"We've got a problem," Dubai quickly relayed everything that he knew from the ThunderGuards down at the loading dock and Kabhan pointed out the lizard on the video screen.

"Do we know what exactly he's carrying?" Sahara asked.

"They've off-loaded five fifty-five gallon drums. I told the guys to put it in the secure storage and not the fuel storage room," Dubai explained.

"Excellent. I want this lizard tailed when he leaves. We need to know if there are any more accomplices," the Queen told them. Dubai nodded and called up security again.

"What about the canisters?" Kabhan asked.

"Call the Bomb Squad. I want those canisters gone over with a fine tooth comb," she told him. He nodded and quickly placed a call.

"Patch me into the SWAT commander. I want the place this lizard is heading surrounded within seconds of him getting there. He will not slip through our fingers. He killed my parents and he will learn just how lion-like I can be," Sahara told them.

"Yes ma'am!" They responded.


	16. Chapter 16

"What have we got?" Tyler asked as he approached the Bomb Squad Commander, a lion, by the name of Abbas, down near the secure storage room. The two stood outside, watching thru the camera of the bomb robot.

"Not sure just yet, my Prince. There seems to be some sort of timing device attached to a vaporizing canister. The timer is counting down and we have only fifteen minutes before they explode," Abbas explained.

"It's a liquid in the tank?" Tyler was confused.

"No, it's a gas but my guess is that the canister will activate shortly before the explosion, causing the gas to be whipped up then the heat from the explosion will cause the inert gas to become not so inert," the lion said.

"How does exploding the gas, infect everybody?" The pumiger wanted to know.

"Well inside the dirt and dust of the debris that will be scattered the gas can hide. No one will realize they are breathing in toxic air until they are checked out by medical personnel. By then, it could be too late," Abbas shook his head.

"Have you seen this before?" Tyler asked.

"I've read about it. Terrorists use a toxic chemical or know the building materials are toxic and then set off an explosion. The duct that clouds up, fills lungs, gunks up nasal passages, and seeps into cuts and lacerations. Either way the target has been infected. This is especially true with large buildings," the lion told him.

"Should we be evacuating the Lair?" Tyler was starting to get nervous.

"To be honest, there is no way to entirely evacuate the Lair in the time we have left. Some will be trapped no matter what we do. If we are able to diffuse it, no one will ever know what we did. If we are not, the city could be infected upon the explosion going off. You have to figure that everything within a five block radius will be damaged, destroyed and that a lot of Cats, Mutants, and other planet inhabitants will be dead," Abbas's outlook on what was about to go down wasn't very rosy.

"We can't tell everyone to evacuate and the cloud of dust that will go up…" Tyler trailed off.

"Will kill anyone who breathes it in. The Queen informed us of the risks. Even if we get the injured to hospitals, there is no way to be absolutely sure Doctor Naho's treatment will work on people. It might have saved the poor soul who was the test subject but to find the exact match for all those involved…" it was the lion's turn to trail off.

"You have to make sure those do not go off. We are looking at a catastrophic destruction of the planet's population," Tyler shook his head.

"Then you should not be here, my Prince. Go. Be with the Queen. We'll radio if we are successful," Abbas said.

"You will all get medals when this is over," the pumiger promised. The lion just smiled as the Prince left and turned back to the camera, hoping the technician could defuse the bomb before it went off.

Back in the Control Room, Sahara was watching the video from the undercover transport's dash. They had successfully followed the lizard's transport so far but the vehicle was approaching a red light and not slowing down.

"He's going to run the light," the ThunderGuard member driving Car Twenty-Six said.

"We'll lose him if he makes it through without causing an accident," his partner said.

"Activate the tracking device in the license plate," the driver instructed as they watched the transport barely make it through the red light. Quickly his passenger entered the license plate number of the vehicle into the transport's onboard computer and it turned on the tracking device. It also turned up some other interesting details.

"The company reported that transport stolen last week. He must have had somewhere to stash it," his partner told everyone who was listening.

"Why didn't the company turn on the tracking device?" The driver asked as the light turned green.

"It says in the report that the company tried to but that the device would not respond. That meant he had it somewhere with a lot of metal around," his partner explained.

"And that means, he's probably heading to that location now," the driver said. Just then the radio crackled to life.

"This is Car Twenty-Three in pursuit. I have locked onto the tracking device and am following at a safe distance. Requesting back up at my location."

"Car Twenty-Three, this is Car Twenty-Six. We're on him, be to you momentarily," the driver answered.

"Car Twenty-Three over and…" he never finished as there was a horrible screeching sound followed by a large crash, over the radio.


	17. Chapter 17

A string of cuss words shot from the lips of the driver in Car Twenty-Six as they pulled up to the crash site. The transport driver had slammed on the brakes at the stop sign. Car Twenty-Three then proceeded to pile drive itself into the back of the vehicle. There were people out front shouting as the transport suddenly caught fire.

"This Is Car Twenty-Three, I need Fire/Rescue to my location on the double! I also need Medical. We have an officer down! I say again, officer down!" The driver of Car Twenty-Six shouted over the radio before both he and his partner exited their vehicle. Quickly, they ran up to the transport and pulled the unconscious lizard out of the front seat. They dragged him to their transport, cuffed him, and threw him into the back seat before heading for the driver in Car Twenty-Three.

"My name is Officer Ballack! Can you hear me? What is your name?" The driver shouted to the cat in the driver's seat.

"My name is Officer Pharr and I can't feel my legs," the officer replied.

"Great Jaga," Ballack murmured.

"Can we get him out?" His partner, Officer Egrain asked.

"Not until Fire/Rescue gets here. They are going to have to cut him out," the driver shook his head, before turning his attention back to the injured cat.

"Do you have a partner in there with you?" Egrain wanted to know.

"No. My partner was called in for Bomb Squad duty," Pharr responded.

"Fire/Rescue is on their way. We're going to see if we can check on something and be right back," Ballack told him. Both cats ran to the transport to check and see if the automatic extinguishing system had deployed. It had not and now they worried that the officer who was stuck would be burned alive.

"Get to our cruiser. Take out the extinguisher in the front compartment from the extinguishing system. We have to try to douse this," Ballack instructed. His partner ran for their vehicle and dug around in the front compartment for the extinguisher. Returning to his partner, they could hear the sirens in the distance.

"Let's hope this helps," Ballack said, removing the valve from the top of the container and dumped it on what appeared to be the center of the fire. The flames were reduced but did not completely go out.

"Damn," Egrain cursed as the flames continued to spread.

"Keep an eye on Officer Pharr. I'll see what I can do about this," his partner said. Egrain nodded and took off to the damaged police transport.

"What is the ETA on the Fire/Rescue? We're running out of time," Ballack grabbed his shoulder radio and made the call.

"Two minutes. If you cannot get the injured Officer out of his cruiser, get everyone back. That thing could blow," the voice over the radio said. That made Ballack think about who they had been chasing.

"Damn," he cursed as he tried to see in the back doors of the transport. They were blackened by smoke and he could not tell if there was anything in there. Quickly he ran to the businesses closest to the accident and told everyone to get out and get across the street.

"What are we looking at?" Egrain asked as his partner returned to the damaged police transport.

"We've still got about minute before they get here," he said, looking at the car that was on fire. Then he ran to their transport, opened the back door and grabbed the now semi-conscious lizard.

"Is there a bomb in the back of your transport?" He demanded.

"Doesn't matter, does it? When those flames hit the Thundrillium vapors in the fuel tank…" the lizard trailed off with a smirk. Ballack punched him squarely in the nose before tossing him back inside the cruiser.

"We have to get him out," he said returning to his partner.

"The cavalry is here!" Egrain smiled as the Fire transport pulled up beside them. They quickly went to work on the flames.

"Get that son of a bitch lizard back to Cat's Lair, we've got it from here," the Fire Chief told them. Both officers nodded and quickly got back into their vehicle before taking off for the Lair.


	18. Chapter 18

Sahara paced anxiously in the control room as the prisoner was being unloaded and brought to her. There was still no word from the Bomb Squad, so she assumed that no news was good news. Tyler sat in a chair nearby watching her stalk back and forth when the radio crackled to life. Private Dubai quickly punched up the sound.

"Bomb Squad here," was all that was said and the Queen responded.

"Yes?"

"We have successfully diffused the bomb. I say again, the bomb has been diffused," came the reply. Whooping went up in the Control Room along with high-fives.

"That is excellent news gentlemen. Have you removed the drums yet?" Sahara asked.

"Negative. We figured that you'd want the hospital lab to analyze it," Commander Abbas said.

"It is a good thought although, I'm not sure we shouldn't just destroy it all," she said.

"Best way to do it would be to release it into space and then blow it up," Abbas suggested.

"I'll get back to you about that. In the meantime, make sure the drums are under heavy guard and do not let them out of your sight," the litah ordered.

"Yes, my Queen," Abbas ended the transmission just as the lizard was being hauled through the Control Room doors.

"Ah so here is our good lizard friend," Sahara smirked before continuing, "Basheer, do us a favor and read the charges against him?"

"My pleasure, my Queen. The charges against you are as follows: Attempted murder, one count, for Torran, Murder in the first degree, seven counts, for the deaths of Lord Ben-Gali, Lord Lucius, Lord Snarf, Lord Panthro, Lady Lea and the two civilians, Regicide, two counts, for the deaths of the King and Queen, and attempted genocide of over half the planet. Do you understand the charges against you?" Basheer asked. His response was to have blood filled spit shot him.

"He understands," Basheer smirked.

"These offences are punishable by death but I will grant you leniency if you explain to me why you intended to kill off your fellow citizens and why my parents had to die. Give me a reason, any reason, or I will make sure your death is a long, slow one," Sahara said to him.

"You would not understand my reasons even I explained them to you slowly in your own tongue. You are meant to be nothing more than slaves. Worthless beings who do not understand that they are meant to be squashed under the heel of my boot," the lizard spat.

"Take him away to the cells. Make sure he survives long enough for his death sentence to be carried out in the town square tomorrow," Sahara said.

"No trial?" Tyler asked.

"Due process is not afforded to though who have committed Regicide. You will die by my hand as Thunderian Law states and it will be seen by millions. Thunderians do not take kindly to those who kill their beloved King and Queen," the litah never took her eyes off of the lizard as he was being led away. He still had a smirk on his face, as though he'd won.

"Basheer," Sahara turned to him.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I need to see you in my office, immediately," she said. He nodded and the two left the room, leaving Tyler to wonder what they were going to talk about.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little disturbing this chapter. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

"Those were big words; do you think you can follow through?" Basheer asked once the office door had been closed and locked.

"What we have before us is definitely a sticky situation. You saw the smirk on his face. He has accomplished what he wished," Sahara shook her head as she sat in her father's chair.

"Yes it seems whether he succeeded or became a martyr, either way he would win. So what do you want to do?" The lizard wanted to know.

"As a lizard yourself, what was the most humiliating thing that I could do to you in front of your people?" The litah asked, seemingly ignoring the question.

"The most humiliating thing to do would be to remove the tail. Unlike our smaller cousins of the animal kingdom, we can't grow ours back. It would forever symbolize the shame brought upon not only yourself but your family and your race. In fact depending upon the crime, your immediate family would have to suffer in your shame as well. The males would have their tales removed and the females would well…" he trailed off unsure if she wanted to hear this part. She looked at him, expecting him to continue so he swallowed and did.

"The females would be branded so that the only job they could get would be as prostitutes. The brand would stand out so that they could not cover it up. The men in the family could not get a job once their tail had been removed as no one would hire a criminal. They would forever be forced to live with the fact that their wives and daughters were forced into slavery and being abused. Not a tradition that I hope lives on I can assure you. As much as Thunderian law has been changed to incorporate all walks of life, the old ways manage to stay alive on Plundarr. There have been great leaps and bounds in the medical field and if a female could get herself to New Thundera, we can fix the tattoo but she would be forced to stay here. She could never return to Plundarr or her family," Basheer explained.

"Do I want to know where the tattoo goes?" Sahara asked a little terrified at what she had just heard.

"The left eye socket. The eye is removed and not replaced. There is no way to cover it up as anyone who sees the eye patch and the surrounding marks, knows what happened," he said, ashamed of his own people.

"How do they not replace it? Doesn't that lead to infection?" The Queen wanted to know.

"The brand is used to sear it shut so that it takes very complicated surgery to ever get an eye to work. The lines from the brand go outside of what an eye patch would cover," Basheer explained.

"Great Jaga's toothbrush," she shook her head.

"You're not going to do that to him are you? He doesn't end up punished, not nearly as much as his family," the lizard said.

"No. I have no intention of doing that or even sending him back to Plundarr. He will die here and he will be buried in an unmarked grave so no one can find him. Is there any chance there could be repercussions back in Plundarr on his family?" Sahara wanted to know.

"Yes but there is no way to know who is family is or if he even has any. The name he gave the guards, at the time of the bomb delivery, is fake. We're running his picture through the database but no hits yet," Basheer shrugged his shoulders.

"The good people of Thundera and Third Earth want this lizard's head. He killed my father; one of Thundera's most beloved Kings, perhaps only more loved was his father. I cannot sit with him in my jail for much longer than tomorrow. Get what you can on him and we will go from there. I have to announce his capture and his sentence so that everyone knows the danger has been averted. We must reopen New Thundera for business," Sahara said.

"I understand. How much will you tell them?" He asked.

"As much as I can. I'll only hold back the containers located downstairs. I will say they were properly disposed of but I'll leave out the part about getting them analyzed first," she told him.

"What about the tigers who helped him?" Basheer wanted to know.

"Tigers? Plural?" The Queen was unsure what he meant.

"That home that blew up, it belonged to a tiger and we found what was left of a body in the ashes. No doubt he was helping him. We have traffic cameras showing where the van came from," the lizard explained.

"Well then I must include them too. I have no choice," she nodded.

"I do not envy you," Basheer heaved a sigh, knowing that the next decision she had to make was a difficult one.

"I must go into the Book. I must seek its advice," she said.


	20. Chapter 20

"Go into the Book? Are you crazy?" Tyler asked upon her return to the control room. She'd pulled him aside and told him about the conversation with Basheer. She didn't give him all the gory details but she told him enough that he knew her decision wasn't made lightly.

"I have no choice. I will not be responsible for the death or maiming of innocent civilians," Sahara said.

"Then I'm going with you," he said.

"You can't and you know it. Besides if for some reason I do not come out in time for the press conference or for the execution, you will need to go through with things," she told him.

"Me? Surely you cannot expect the good people of the three planets to watch me handle this situation. I'm not the one to send the message, you are," the pumiger pointed out. He was right. The execution must be handled by the family member most affected by the death of the ruling family members. Unfortunately, Leo could not as he did not hold any place of power. Not that he couldn't do it but the message sent would not be the same. Sahara could show no weakness. Despite being a perfectly good ruler, females in her position were still not taken seriously in a position viewed as something inherently male. The peoples of New Thundera, Third Earth, and Plundarr did not doubt her but the rest of the universe was a whole different matter.

"Well then let us hope I'm not in there too long," she smiled slightly and took off for the Antiquities Room and he followed. Someone would have to hold onto the Sword while she was in there.

It did not take long to enter the Book. The Guardian did not even address her until she cleared her throat and said,

"Guardian, I come to seek your advice."

"ADVICE IS SOMETHING I CAN NO LONGER GIVE YOU," the Guardian boomed.

"My father and mother are dead. I am Queen and Leader of the ThunderCats. Advice is something I am perfectly qualified to receive," she told the Book.

"DID YOU THINK I DID NOT KNOW YOUR PARENTS WERE DEAD? DID YOU THINK I DID NOT KNOW YOU NOW LEAD THE THUNDERCATS AND THE PEOPLES OF THREE PLANETS? THEN YOU TRULY DO NOT UNDERSTAND MY POWERS," the Guardian laughed in her face.

"If you are all knowing, then why can't you help me?" Sahara asked.

"FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, LIONS WERE THE ONLY SPECIES ALLOWED INTO MY PAGES. THAT CHANGED UPON YOUR ADMITTANCE TO THE BOOK. YOU MAY BE PART LION BUT YOU ARE NOT A TRUE LION. I ALLOWED IT BECAUSE OF YOUR UNIQUE ABILITIES AND THE FACT THAT YOUR FATHER WAS STILL ALIVE. UPON HIS EXPIRATION, MY GOOD WILL ENDED. I HAVE DONE MUCH MORE FOR YOU THAN ANY OTHER LEADER OF THE THUNDARIAN PEOPLE. IT IS TIME YOU MADE YOUR OWN DECISION," the Guardian said. It was then that she understood. Not only were the universe's eyes on New Thundera but the Book of Omens' as well. This decision had to be her own. No one could make it for her and no matter how much she asked people for advice; the words would mean it was someone else's decision, not hers.

"And if I make the decision? Will your good will be extended as it seems today it was extended as well?" Sahara wanted to know.

"MY GOOD WILL, WILL CHANGE WHEN THE ACT IS CARRIED OUT. FOLLOW THUNDERIAN LAW AND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION WILL BE CLEAR," the Guardian said before expelling her from the Book.

"Well what did he say?" Tyler asked as he caught his wife.

"Do we still have the old Thunderian law books around?" She inquired.

"I'm sure we do. Your father ordered them saved when the laws changed to include those not of Thunderian blood," he said.

"Not those laws. The laws from Old Thundera. My father changed the laws after they established themselves on Third Earth," she told him.

"Those I have no idea. There aren't any around from that time," Tyler shook his head.

"Then I best get to the press conference and the library," Sahara said.


	21. Chapter 21

The press conference went off surprisingly without a hitch. No one seemed to object at the steps needed to be taken and no one stood up to defend him as she figured there would be. Many times, there had been those who protested the death penalty but today, they were silent. Once it was over, she headed back inside to the library and told everyone she did not want to be disturbed. Tyler agreed but only if she'd have something to eat first. Grudgingly she agreed and ate a quick meal before heading into the library.

Book after book, she poured through, looking for the old laws, looking for something, anything that would tell her how to handle the situation. One would have thought that Regicide would have been spelled out fairly clearly and shown somewhere in large letters but no such luck. Perhaps it was because the ones who wrote the laws never thought it possible. After all with guards and the Sword, who would have thought it could happen. However, her father and mother had both of those things and it matter not.

"Forgive me your Highness but perhaps I can be of service," a small quiet voice came from behind her and she looked up. At first she was annoyed that someone had interrupted her but then she realized she recognized the voice.

"Egbert? Is that really you?" Sahara looked at him completely confused. The snarf had to be at least a hundred and fifty.

"Egbert? Who is Egbert?" The snarf asked.

"A friend to Uncle Snarf. Sorry. I have no idea why I thought he'd still be alive," the litah shook her head.

"Well perhaps it is because you have your thoughts in other places. My name is Oswald," he smiled slightly. Sahara took him in and realized that he was about Snarfer's age.

"Forgive me. My mind is very occupied," she smiled slightly.

"That's why I am here. I know you said you didn't want to be disturbed but I think I can help. You see your Uncle Snarf used to let Snarfer and I in here to poke around," he smiled.

"Do you happen to know what book I'm looking for? I mean I realize that these are not the original copies as they were destroyed when Thundera was destroyed but even copies work well," Sahara said, showing she understood things might not be in their original order. After all, no one had touched them since the copies had been brought into the library by a ship full of refugees.

"You see I was on that ship that brought them in and I helped get them onto the shelves. I read a good portion of them on our journey before we found out where other had settled," he smiled and carefully made his way to the ladder that lay up against the shelves. Slowly taking the rungs, one at a time, he climbed up to the top shelf where the hole for the current book she was ready was. Thumbing over a few books, he pulled one from the shelf and carefully climbed back down.

"Here you go. Try this one," Oswald smiled.

"Unnatural Crimes and Their Punishments. Huh," Sahara shrugged.

"I guess the elders back then figured Regicide was a bit unnatural," he shrugged his shoulders.

"But not uncommon. Lucius used to tell us some horror stories," she told him.

"I suppose," he smiled slightly and turned to go.

"Thank you Oswald. I really appreciate it," Sahara called after him.

"Anytime, your Highness," he smiled slightly and was gone from the room. It took Sahara all of two minutes to find what she was looking for as it was the first crime on the list in the front of the book. She flipped to the page where the topic started and read intently. It was short and to the point. Should the King or Queen be killed, then the one responsible shall be publicly executed. All those who helped the perpetrator, should die with the responsible party, and their bodies left on display so as to show everyone what the consequences of their actions had been. This seemed to be the same punishment as when a normal Thunderian died and it confused her until she flipped the next page.

_The names of the guilty are to be stricken from every record. They never existed. Their names are never to be uttered ever again. Their bodies are to be shot into space and exploded. They will never have a burial place and never enter the Kingdom of the Gods._

"Whoa," she read it again to make sure and then closed the book. She knew what she had to do.


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning the sun shone brightly as it did most mornings but the happy feeling usually given to the bright orb in the sky was dampened by what the day was about to hold. Sahara left her bed and headed for the bathroom. She'd hardly slept at all. She'd taken lives in battle but this was different.  _How different is it really though_ , she wondered to herself. The lizard had committed an act of treason. Treason means he intended for war. So perhaps it wasn't all that different.

"How'd you sleep?" Tyler asked as he popped into the bathroom doorway. Sahara turned from the medicine cabinet and looked at him.

"Not well," she admitted.

"Well decisions like that are tough. I'm sure no one envies you," her mate said.

"This is true," she smirked slightly.

"You talk to your brother?" Tyler asked.

"Not yet. I intend to before breakfast," she said. Her thoughts then slipped back to what she had read. The old laws state that the male in the family must perform the act. Technically it would fall to him, if the Book of Omens, wanted her to follow things by the letter. However he was not in a position of power like the new laws stipulated. The Book told her he wasn't going to help, so she had to make the decision on her own. It would be the best way to reveal Leo's new abilities and show that he was avenging his father and mother but with her position as Queen, that made her look weak.

"Well then you best get to it. We only have four more hours before our no-name lizard is to be executed," Tyler pointed out.

"Yes and we still don't know his name. Hard to strike it from the record if we don't know what it is," Sahara shook her head.

"I'll press Basheer and see how things are going," he smiled as she hopped into the shower.

"Sounds like a plan," she said turning on the hot water. Tyler went back into the bedroom, pulled clean clothes out of the closet, and heaved a sigh. Today was going to be a long day.

The time sped by in a hurry. It was now thirty minutes to go and Sahara strode into the prison cells and looked at the guards.

"Made it through the night I see," she smiled slightly.

"Not for a lack of trying my Queen. He tried to kill himself around midnight," the guard said.

"And you managed to save him? That takes a lot out of you," she said.

"Well I wasn't going to let him skip out on his punishment. Your father was very good to his people. He deserves justice," the guard told her.

"That he does. May I speak to the prisoner?" Sahara asked.

"Yes ma'am," he said as he gestured toward the cell door. She stepped up close to the door but not close enough for him to reach through the bars.

"All right. We know who you are, we know where you're from, and we know that you're going out of this world in about twenty minutes. So I'm going to ask you one more time, why did you kill my parents?" Sahara asked.

"Because they deserved it. No cat deserves to rule Mutants," he admitted.

"Talkative now huh? How'd you get the tigers to help you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Money is a perfect incentive. One would think cats would be able to resist money from a Mutant but even our money was enough to get them to help me," he smirked.

"So money and lies. Time's oldest friends," she shook her head.

"Money makes lies easier to believe. Especially when you tell them they'll have a piece of the pie in the new world order," the lizard said.

"Well you'll be heading for a new world all right but I highly doubt you're going to enjoy the order of things," Sahara said as she motioned for the guards.

"Time to die," she told him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little graphic and involves character death - just wanted to let you know.

The guards led the Mutant out to the platform that had been built the previous day and they forced him down onto his knees. They tied his ankles down to the metal loops in the floor and tied his tail to the third. His wrists were left bound and the black hood was left over his head. Sahara moved to the podium and looked out at the crowd that gathered. Cameras from the news station were right up front. She would be in front of the whole galaxy and her stomach fluttered. A thought crossed her mind about how her father had often admitted that he had been nervous when making large announcements and a small smile crossed her lips.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of New Thundera, Third Earth, Plundarr, and the Galaxy, I stand before you today with justice for my parents, my friends, and the peoples of the planets in this galaxy," she paused and turned to the lizard who was chained to the floor.

"By the old laws of Thundera, I will enact the justice that is sought for the Regicide of her King and Queen. The lizard you see before you and the two tigers who died helping him will pay for their crimes and they will do so for all eternity. Their names shall be stricken from the records. They will never have existed. Their bodies will be flung into space and exploded. Never will their spirits enter into the Kingdom of the Gods or any God they believed in. My ruling is final and is law of land," again she paused, surprised at the silence from the audience; especially after mentioning that two tigers had been involved. She expected the tiger clan to be up in arms but not a word was said.

"Basheer, the Sword of Omens please," she turned to her best friend and he handed her the powerful blade. It had been sharpened to the point that it would sever bone with no problem and she gingerly took the blade in her hand.

"This was my father's weapon. He never had the chance to use it against his enemy but I will use it now to avenge him," the litah left the podium, carefully putting the Sword at her side, and leaned down to whisper to the lizard.

"For the sake of your family, I will not show your face. Only a select few will know your real name and after they strike it from the record they will be forced into silence. I pity you not for what is about to happen," she stood and moved slightly behind him. With one easy move, she lifted the Sword and brought it down, severing the lizard's tail. He howled in agony but Basheer moved forward and held him steady as Sahara moved to her next target, his ankles.

Once they were severed, she knew he was losing blood quickly and wouldn't be around for much longer so she took little time as Basheer held the wrists by the rope and she lopped them off. Again howl pierced the air but there wasn't much to it as the blood flowed out of his body. Basheer quickly grabbed the hood and the top of the lizard's head and Sahara made one final cut and severed his head.

Silence blanketed the audience and no one moved. Never before had they seen anything like what had just occurred and they did not know how to react. The Queen was covered in blood and it made her skin crawl. Despite wanting to get out of the clothes she had on and burning them along with anything the lizard's fluids had touched, she watched as the guards untied the body parts from the floor and unceremoniously dumped them into a metal casket that was lined with explosives. They then walked the casket back towards the Lair where it would be shot from the same machine used to fling the troop ships into space. Once that was done, everyone watched as the casket was hurled toward the planet's atmosphere. Upon reaching the heat caused as it tried to leave the atmosphere, the explosives went up and a massive explosion occurred. Then Sahara lifted the Sword into the air and it roared. Justice had been served. She turned and left the crowd standing there, unsure of their next move.


	24. Chapter 24

Eventually the crowd quietly dispersed. No one pushed them and no one said much as they all went back to their daily lives. Inside the Lair was a different story. The Tiger Clan elders were in an uproar over the mention that tiger helped the crazy mutant. They demanded that the Queen show them proof that there were tigers involved. She wanted to lash out at them but she knew that would do no good. Quietly she laid out the evidence on the Conference Room table and let them examine it for themselves.

"You do not have any statements given from the dead tigers," one Elder spoke up.

"They were dead by the time we found out about the conspiracy," Sahara pointed out.

"So we do not have their side of the story. What if they were unwitting accomplices?" Another Elder asked.

"It doesn't matter. The law is quite clear. They helped a mad man murder my father. They helped murder my mother. Not to mention Lord Panthro, Lady Lea, Lord Lucius, Snarf, and of course Lord Ben-Gali. Great Jaga, they killed one of your own and yet you stand here and try to tell me I've done wrong!" The litah snapped.

"The Queen is right. Lord Ben-Gali was my father. He is dead because of his own kind. Did not matter whether they were unwitting or not. Neither came forward when the news first broke. The galaxy already thinks Sahara is weak. It would look like favoritism if those that helped murder the King and the Queen got away with it," Tyler spoke up.

"You know not what you speak of half-breeds!" The first Elder snapped. At the comment the ThunderGuardsmen posted outside the door, moved in and grabbed the Elder.

"You do not speak to the Queen and the Prince in such a manner," the Guard whom Sahara recognized as Dubai from the Control Room. His partner, Kabhan, stood on the other side of the Elder.

"Down boys. I appreciate the fervor though," she gave them a wink before continuing,

"Let this old uneducated fool go." She then turned to the other Tiger Elders and said,

"This matter is now closed. It will no longer be discussed and the names of the guilty are being struck from the record as we speak. Tell your people that I do not think ill of them as a whole. The few bad eggs should not spoil the bunch but let it be known whether they be a tiger or a member of any other clan, I will not let the memory of my parents be destroyed, is that understood?" There were nods around the room and the Queen gave a tight smile before asking Dubai and Kabhan to escort them out.

"Everything go ok?" Leo asked as Sahara entered the Control Room. He was no longer in his chair and immediately people took notice. She quickly explained everything that happened, including her successful detour into the Book of Omens. The Guardian had been proud of her and told her from that day forward, any and all of her descendants would be allowed into the Book. Sahara couldn't help but wonder if the Guardian had wanted justice just as much as the rest of Thundera. After all, he had a very large part in her father's work to save the planet.

"My Prince! It is so good to see you up and about!" Dubai smiled, as he entered the Control Room ten minutes later to report to his usual station, and extended a hand.

"It is good to be up trust me. I hear you helped my sister and my brother-in-law deal with some issues," Leo smirked.

"They called her a name and they call themselves Elders. We were glad to be asked to help with the detail," Kabhan scoffed as he shook the Prince's hand as well.

"Well I am glad to know that we have good people by her side," Leo smiled.

"Yes. I must thank you once again gentlemen. Now I do believe that Leo and I have an announcement to make," Sahara smiled.

"That we do but first we have some medals to pin on some chests," he smirked.

"Very true. Tyler is getting them so that we can present them to the Bomb Squad and Doctor Naho and his team. It is a good day for the three planets," she said. Quickly the two left the Control Room. As they passed through the doors, they passed into the fabric of history. Never would the three planets have a period of peace and prosperity as they did under Sahara's rule and that of her descendants. Upon their deaths some forty years later, Sahara and Tyler were buried next to Lion-O and Cheetara and their son Adohi gave a stirring eulogy to the hundreds of thousands that came from far and wide to see them off to their final resting place. Inscribed on their monument were the words that every great ruler got but just underneath, Adohi and Kaylee had something special inscribed. It was the image of a toothbrush. One last inside joke for only those close to them and their favorite phrase.

**T** **H** **E** **E** **N** **D**


End file.
